


From Spanish Words and Young Love

by shutuplizzie



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Love Poems, M/M, Pining, Post-Time Skip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:34:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25370962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shutuplizzie/pseuds/shutuplizzie
Summary: If Oikawa could meet his younger self, he would talk about how everything changed.or,How Oikawa Tooru loves Iwaizumi Hajime, regardless of time, space or language.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 5
Kudos: 60





	From Spanish Words and Young Love

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't plan to write this, but as Haikyuu!! come to an end, this is my way to say thank you.  
> There will be a poem in spanish in this story, I'll post the link of the translation and I would recommend reading it, because it is as beautiful as Oikawa says it is.

If Oikawa could meet his younger self, he would talk about how everything changed.

He wished that he was able to travel through time - very much like the main character in a sci-fi movie that he could watch a billion times - and reassure himself that things would work out well for them. He would’ve hold the hands of his 16 years old self, the Oikawa who was insecure despite his act and lonely despite the company beside him. He would assure him that his knee would heal, his career was far from over and that he would be happy.

The thing is, he doesn’t have to do that. 

Even if modern technology allowed him to do as such, it wasn’t like no one said those things to him when he needed the most.

Maybe everything changed, but one thing always stayed. Unchangeable. Stable. And, of course, that was his - their - Iwa-chan.

He was now an adult, they both were. Oikawa has always been the dreamer and Iwaizumi was very down-to-earth, and they worked well together even before their real personalities flourished. Oikawa was both the optimist and the pessimist, the one who could dream about time travel and magic and changing the world and still not believe in his own potential. 

People acted like he was narcissistic and entitled - maybe that was true, when he was younger - and his teammates would laugh about how Iwaizumi tried (and failed) in controlling Oikawa but only the two boys knew how much  _ worse  _ Oikawa could be if he wanted to.

It was hard to explain to others how essential Iwaizumi was in his life - and he hoped that the other boy also had the same problem. It was easier - not easy, easier - to describe to those who spent time with them as teenagers, the ones who were there when they were influencing each other to their respective cores. Not even their parents could understand how much of Oikawa personality existed because he had Iwaizumi in his life ever since a young age. 

So it was pretty much impossible to explain to his teammates and friends in Argentina.

They called it a “crush”. They would tease him for a childhood love gone wrong, and Oikawa would laugh along even though his heart ached.

In the few times he tried to explain, he failed.

And it was easy to blame the language. It was easy to put the blame on his spanish - which was as close to perfection as possible, thank you very much (he could even understand portuguese if he put his mind to it!). It was easier than explaining that even in japanese, he was never able to put into world what he felt for most of his life.

So he kept everything inside him.

Beside what other people would think, though, it wasn’t a burden. Very far from it.

Oikawa’s own nature wouldn’t allow him to drown on it. He lived. He loved. He played the sport he adored, he traveled alongside friends and lovers, he had fun. He kissed, had sex, explored and dated. He met up with people from his past, Hinata Shouyou being a source of friendly comfort and even Hanamaki, in a drunken haze where neither could explain what happened the next day.

But there was always Iwaizumi.

If Oikawa could meet his younger self, he would talk about how Iwaizumi was still there. How, even after 14 years, he would be hopelessly in love with his best friend.

He would tell him that it was alright. That there was nothing wrong with him, that boys could like boys. That his Iwa-chan could be a little dense, sometimes, but he could never hate him, much less for something like this.

And he didn’t. His feelings for Iwaizumi were never a burden or something heavy to carry, because of course Iwaizumi knew about it.

He was 21 years old when they went back to Miyagi for a few weeks. It was Matsukawa’s wedding and he threatened to replace them for his new college friends as his best men if they missed it. It was a lovely ceremony, and Iwaizumi looked absolutely stunning.

After a few glasses of champagne, he got tired of all the attention his best friend was receiving and took him to dance himself.

It was a slow song, a romantic one. Iwaizumi didn’t even flinch, only put a hand on his waist and started to move. Oikawa resented him a little bit for being the better dancer, but he was feeling so light and happy that he only mentioned it twice.

After the first song they kept dancing for what seemed like hours. It was already late, most of the guests were already gone, but the stars were shining bright in the open space and it would be a shame if they stopped to breathe.

Oikawa was already getting sleepy, but he would rather die to let this moment go. They were talking comfortably as they danced, not even feeling their legs at that point, when Oikawa rested his head on Iwaizumi’s shoulder. They kept talking, now their voices softer, their words almost getting lost among the english ballads.

At some point, Iwaizumi asked: “Say something in spanish.”

And Oikawa did. He kept rambling, talking about nothing and everything, soft voice and shy smiles, his head still in his friend’s shoulder.

At some point, he was reciting the words of a famous song when he looked at Iwaizumi’s face. His eyes were closed and he had a small, secretive smile that Oikawa felt privileged to witness. It felt like second nature, then, for Oikawa to stop talking in spanish and opening his big mouth.

“You know I love you, right?”

He expected to regret it. but he didn’t. Not when Iwaizumi opened his eyes and looked at him, not changing their position in the slightest. His friend knew him enough to know about what kind of love he was talking about. He loved Iwaizumi Hajime as a friend, yes, but it was much more than that.

As they both stared at each other, Oikawa remembered watching Star Trek when he was younger. He became obsessed with a vulcan term, t’hy’la. It was a term that meant friend, but could also be translated to brother, soulmate. Lover. From the very first time it appeared, it felt so natural to associate his Iwa-chan with it. 

He was 14 years old.

“Yes, I think I do,” Iwaizumi finally answered. “You  _ are  _ kind of obvious with the staring sometimes.”

“This is so rude,” Oikawa was now smiling. “I do not ‘stare’”

After that they kept bickering. It was familiar. Eventually they stopped dancing and went home - Iwaizumi went to Oikawa’s house that day. They did not get together, not in any way. Not much changed for them as friends. They spent their days in Japan together, but they would’ve done that anyway.

Oikawa could finally breathe.

The thing is, they usually were in equal footing about most things.

Iwaizumi didn’t have to open his mouth at the wedding for Oikawa to know that he loved him too.

Oikawa was 27 years old when they moved back to Japan. It was only natural for them to move in together, even though they were both past the age of sharing an apartment with a friend. They both had the money to live alone, Oikawa playing in a big team in the league and Iwaizumi managed to keep playing while managing to get a teaching position in a Tokyo university. They just choose… not to.

And it was easy. Most of the things in Oikawa’s life came from hard work. It was earned through blood, sweat and tears. Iwaizumi’s friendship, however, was as easy as breathing. It wasn’t the same as they were younger, but that wasn’t a bad thing.

When Oikawa moved to Argentina, he was embarrassed to tell his mom that he would miss Iwaizumi more than anyone else. She told him that distance would make their bond only stronger, and he was glad that she was right as always.

They didn’t grow apart, as most childhood friends do. They promised each other to make an effort to keep talking, and in the end, it wasn’t effort at all. When Oikawa had good or bad news, Iwaizumi was always the first person he wanted to share everything with. And so he did.

A lot of their boyfriends and girlfriends would get jealous of their relationship, even being countries apart. Oikawa fooled around a lot and had serious relationships in Argentina, but he knew deep down that nothing would ever compare.

He trusted this, even as Iwaizumi got engaged when he was 25. It was a lovely girl.

He was almost ashamed when the same engagement ended after a few months, the girl blaming him for it. He barely knew her name - but their eyes were almost identical. 

Unlike his family, Iwaizumi didn’t look very sad when he told Oikawa about it.

(It was probably wishful thinking, but Iwaizumi looked happy when he called him to say that it was over.)

After one year living together, it felt like the missing pieces and bits that were missing were now complete. Although their friendship was nothing less than stable, it changed a lot with time and distance. It was not very difficult when Oikawa was in Argentina and Iwaizumi in the US, the time zones being not that different after all. But that doesn’t mean it was easy, the two of them being very accustomed with small touches and knowing what the other was thinking with only one look.

He was glad to have this back.

When Oikawa’s 28th birthday came around, it was as if they never lived far away from each other.

He had his fair share of hangovers and parties when he was younger, so now he celebrated in his - their - apartment, with his closest friends, people arriving as the sun was still up and leaving before the neighbours could complain.

It was a saturday, and Oikawa was now laying down on the couch, drinking a beer and feeling light and devoid of worry for the first time in a while. Iwaizumi was bidding goodbye to some of his teammates for him, and when he returned to the empty living room, Oikawa only offered him a beer.

Instead of accepting, Iwaizumi offered him his hand, and Oikawa recognized the song playing as one of those they danced to in Matsukawa’s wedding.

A lot have changed since then, but thinking about it as he laughed with his best friend, a lot didn’t. And that was for the best.

He remember quoting  _ Sabor a Mi _ to Iwaizumi that day, as they danced. It was quiet and sweet when he said he loved him. They were young, starting their respective careers. The stars were watching as they danced, closer than normal friends but not yet lovers, wearing fancy suits and with a world of incertity between them.

Now, 7 years later, it was only them. The stars were still bright in the sky, but in their little world, nothing was quiet and formal. The songs kept playing, most of them happy and loud, and they were accompanied with boisterous laughter and bright smiles. Most of the songs were about passion and intense love, as if it was something unstable and explosive. 

Their love was different, but they still danced the night away.

Iwaizumi’s playlist was interrupted when his phone eventually died, but even as they got tired, they didn’t stop.

A couple of hours later, the sun was starting to rise and they were laying down together on the floor, stubbornly refusing to sleep, as if they were 21 again. Iwaizumi lifted his head to watch him, and after a few moments he made the same request as years ago.

People used to say Oikawa was unnecessarily cheesy, but he did consider himself to be romantic. As he stared to the most important person in his life, a couple of sonnets resonated in his mind until he found the right one.

“Do you mind listening to a poem?” he asked, not waiting for Iwaizumi to answer.

The words tasted sweet in his tongue as he talked:

[ _ Te amo, te amo de una manera inexplicable, de una forma inconfesable, de un modo contradictorio. _ ](https://lyricstranslate.com/en/te-amo-l-love-you.html)

_ Te amo con mis estados de ánimo que son muchos, y cambian de humor continuamente. P _ _ or lo que ya sabes, el tiempo, la vida, la muerte. _

Pablo Neruda’s words were simple yet complex, and they talked about a love so unconditional that it couldn’t be explained. 

_ Te amo… con el mundo que no entiendo, con la gente que no comprende, con la ambivalencia de mi alma, con la incoherencia de mis actos, con la fatalidad del destino, con la conspiración del deseo, con la ambigüedad de los hechos. _

_ Aún cuando te digo que no te amo, te amo, hasta cuando te engaño, no te engaño, en el fondo, llevo a cabo un plan, para amarte mejor. _

Oikawa was not fluent when he stumbled upon this poem, as he was studying the language. He could barely understand half of those words without the help of a dictionary, but his eyes watered nonetheless.

_ Te amo… sin reflexionar, inconscientemente, irresponsablemente, espontáneamente, involuntariamente, por instinto, por impulso, irracionalmente.  _

_ En efecto no tengo argumentos lógicos, ni siquiera improvisados para fundamentar este amor que siento por ti, que surgió misteriosamente de la nada, que no ha resuelto mágicamente nada, y que milagrosamente, de a poco, con poco y nada ha mejorado lo peor de mí. _

Spanish was considered one of the most romantic languages in the world, and Oikawa felt privileged to learn it as he loved someone so deeply.

_ Te amo, te amo con un cuerpo que no piensa, con un corazón que no razona, con una cabeza que no coordina. _

_ Te amo incomprensiblemente, sin preguntarme por qué te amo, sin importarme por qué te amo, sin cuestionarme por qué te amo.  _

And maybe Iwaizumi couldn’t translate the words, but Oikawa knew that the other man knew exactly what he was saying.

_ Te amo sencillamente porque te amo, yo mismo no sé por qué te amo. _

As if he was anxious to speak, Iwaizumi barely let Oikawa finish when he opened his mouth. “Tooru. Do you still mean it?”

He didn’t specify. He didn’t need to. Oikawa just nodded, and not even a second later, the love of his life was finally kissing him.

They went to sleep hours later, now finally together.

If Oikawa could meet his younger self, he would talk about how some things changed. How some things stayed the same, and how some things were transformed.

The biggest transformation was a work in progress ever since that time, and that was all about Iwaizumi Hajime. Right now his fiancée is reading an article in their shared bed, hair messy, only in his boxers and with his glasses on.

Maybe it’s for the best that time travel isn’t possible, he decides then and there. 

Because it means that a younger Oikawa Tooru will have the privilege of learning how to love Iwaizumi Hajime regardless of time, space or language.

Just like he did.

**Author's Note:**

> So... that's it!  
> English is not my first language - neither is spanish - but Oikawa being in a country next to mine is something that brings me much joy. Also, I wrote this in like 3 hours, so it's probably not my best work. If you find any mistakes, feel free to tell me :)  
> Haikyuu!! is probably my favorite thing in the world, iwaoi being my biggest OTP, and although it's sad that the manga is ending tomorrow, I know that they will be with me forever.  
> The english translation of Te Amo, by Pablo Neruda, is here https://lyricstranslate.com/en/te-amo-l-love-you.html  
> If you wish, you can also talk to me in my twitter @lanwangbi and my curiouscat @shutuplizzie


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